View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many weeks did fireman's training last?

2. Why were merchants good to firefighters (i.e., by giving them discounts) under the old system?

3. What did the cockroaches symbolize in Smith's view?

4. What kind of entertainment did the firefighters and children experience during the ice cream party in Chapter 9?

5. At what age did Smith drop out of school?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Smith distinguish between acts of shoplifting and looting within poor neighborhoods?

2. What did Smith find most frustrating about the attack on the firefighters (the dropped garbage can) in Chapter 8?

3. Why were the men uneasy as they begin the training drill in Chapter 6?

4. How did the elementary student, Cynthia, approach her interview with Smith in Chapter 9?

5. In what key way does Smith say the modern firefighting exams are different from those of the past?

6. Why does Smith suggest that perhaps even with guidance, South Bronx resident Tina de Vega may still have ended up on drugs and prostituting herself?

7. In what way does it seem as though Smith--despite his hatred for cockroaches--actually respects them?

8. Why did Smith think it was useless to argue with the sneering youths hanging around a fireman's car in Chapter 10?

9. Why were some of the firefighters unwilling to help out at the department's occasional parties for neighborhood kids?

10. How did contemplating the changing seasons make it easier for Smith to deal with the dangers of his job?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The firefighters of Engine Co. 82 made several efforts to connect with the neighborhood children, for example, through ice cream parties. Do these sorts of community outreach projects ultimately help the community and if so, how? How can seeing authority figures "at ease" and off the job help children see them as non-threatening? Smith at one point expresses dismay that firefighters willing to to crawl through a fire to rescue one black child will share ice cream with 100 black children. In what ways do these community outreach projects help firefighters themselves? Do they normally get the chance to see people at their best? Can getting to know the neighbors outside of emergency calls help firefighters develop a deeper and more satisfying relationship with their community?

Essay Topic 2

Although willing to run into burning buildings, Smith was nevertheless unhinged by the sight of cockroaches and was unable to remain in a roach-infested room for long. What images were conveyed to Smith by the sight of the roaches and why was he unable to ignore them? How did his knowledge of cockroaches provide him with a deeper understanding of the conditions in which the South Bronx residents live?

Essay Topic 3

Smith reveals a particular contempt for people who steal from their fellow poor and mentions that he himself shoplifted from fancy stores as a child, but would never have stolen from a neighbor. What do you think about this attitude? Is it acceptable for the poor to steal from stores? Does shoplifting have an effect only on the store owner or does the effect trickle down to the entire community? Should the punishments be different depending upon whom the victim is?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,147 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample